Jayalakshmi
Age : 98
At 98, Jayalakshmi outlived all four of her children. While living a long life is a blessing, witnessing the passing of all her children posed its own challenges. Throughout her life, it was a caring journey. To start with she devoted herself to caring for her children as they grew and later invested time in raising her grandchildren. Almost two years, her husband was bedridden and she took the responsibility of caring her husband during his last days. As the youngest daughter-in-law, she extended her care to her older in-laws as well. And (unfortunately) she cared for her two of her own children in their final moments due to terminal illnesses. Jayalakshmi’s remarkable journey as a traditional caregiver, showering love and compassion on every immediate family member, is an experience not everyone gets to witness and a unique journey only a fortunate few embark on. Mini, her youngest granddaughter, 51 years, lives in Pune had housed her grandmother after the death of her parents and parent’s siblings. Declining mobility, changing temperament, picky eating habits, non-social behaviours with great grandchildren slowly started creating rifts at home. To add to the problem, Jayalakshmi started losing balance and had frequent falls. Though she was escaping with minor bruising, Mini knew the falls can be fatal and her grandmother is running a huge risk of head injury or a fracture. Jayalakshmi was stubborn and fiercely independent all through her life was not willing to take assistance for her ADLs even at 98.
Fortunately, the grandchildren scattered across the globe shared equal concern for Ajji. Despite the vast distances, they stayed in constant communication with Mini, the primary caregiver. Recognising that domiciliary care was falling short for Ajji, the decision was made to move her into our care facility. The first priority was initiating physical therapy, successfully restoring her mobility. Ajji adapted well to the care home routine, now ambulatory with the aid of a walker. Engaging therapies were introduced to manage her temperament, fostering a harmonious relationship with her caregivers. All expenses were collectively covered by the grandchildren, emphasising their commitment to not compromising on her care. Grateful for Ajji’s significant contributions to the family, all the grandchildren express their acknowledgment and appreciation.
Takeaway
The increasing number of healthy seniors has made it more prevalent for the very elderly to take on a caregiving role for their adult children dealing with cancer, heart disease, or other health issues. Eventually, the responsibility of caring for grandparents falls on the shoulders of the grandchildren.
